A Weekly Reflection: Shakmah Winddrum-Embracing A Life of Spirit

Yesterday I learned of the passing of Shakmah Winddrum, a Master Teacher within the spiritual community and Director and Founder of the New Seed Sanctuary. She was the embodiment of “a Divine Being having a human experience”. To be in her presence was to feel the energy and wisdom of the ages surrounding you in such a way that a hunger and desire to live life to your fullest potential was stirred. She embraced life and The Great Work with fervor and dedication and her strength and courage served as a catalyst for any who were blessed to be in her presence and hear the words that were given.

I was not her student, but was privileged to attend several of her workshops and speak with her personally. Her energy and passion for the work that she dedicated every fiber of her being to flowed through her teachings and interactions. As with anything that one is greatly passionate about, there were certain standards that she expected if you were to walk this path of spirit and every action, word and intent along that path was held as sacred. If anything less was offered up, you experienced the wrath that can only be justifiably directed by one who knew that your potential was far greater than what you had shown.

Those who were her students have become bright lights within this world and the work that was begun together will forever live on through their dedication and teachings and those they in turn offer and teach that wisdom to. It is with sadness that we say good bye, but it is with joy that the memories and echoes of her teachings live on. And, it is with a grateful heart that I offer thanks to one who briefly but profoundly touched my spirit.

The Hunger- Sagittarius

 

I stand on the horizon

senses keen to the

rhythm of life all around me.

I breathe in the world’s

offerings and send the

experience outward, always

looking towards the

sun and sky and that which

is said to be beyond my grasp.

 

 

To read more: Traveling Through the Stars

A Weekly Reflection: Full Moon Fever

The moon is Full in Taurus today and I am drawn to her call. Sitting outside in the crisp cool November air and staring up in awe at the beauty of moon and cloud and night sky I am reminded once again of the energy and power of this action. Although I try to get outside and under the presence of the moon's energies on each full moon, often this is not possible . Partly because of living in a very urban setting and partly because of other duties and responsibilities that pull me in other directions. So, my connection is generally inside in meditation and/or ritual.

But, on those evenings when I make it outside the connection, the celebration and the working of the lunar tides is held with a strength and burst of power and energy that indoor work pales in comparison to. And, so I sit in the full embrace of this moon's fixed and earthy energy and allow its luminescence to wash over and through me. I open to the velvety caress of Mother Sky's body wrapped over me and I open myself to the call of the lunar tides.

Make some time this week to sit in the beauty of the out doors. Welcome the warmth of Father Sun and cloak yourself in the mystery of Lady Moon. Rain, wind, snow, heat and fair weather are all of the Divine's making. Sit in her splendor and reclaim your place in nature. Blessings of a beautiful lunar night.

A Weekly Reflection: The Path of Devotion

Thoughts about what Devotion means to me have been percolating all week. Being type- A personality and wanting to know, do and be everything-immediately, often makes me feel as though I am not doing enough at a personal level to express the Devotion and dedication I have for my chosen spiritual path. As I go through my journal type list of the ways I think I have supported that energy in the past, I am reminded also that it is the simple acts that often deliver the most payload. That Devotion doesn’t have to be elaborate and time consuming. It needs intent and consistency. And, most often it needs emotional participation and engagement. This last lesson I have often struggled with as my natural tendency is head, logic and rationale. So, from these musings came the ideas below, that perhaps will encourage your own personal expression of the Path of Devotion.

Setting up an Altar dedicated to a specific Deity is a beautiful way to display your dedication and devotion to that particular Deity. Acknowledging your Path and the work you have achieved on that Path as you sit in contemplative medication is an affirmation of your Devotion. Each time you spend a moment in thought about the magick that surrounds you, the marvel of your physical body and give thanks for those others who share your life generates the energetic pattern of Devotion. Just as the rose in the picture at the heading of this page shows, there are many chambers that are unfolding at any given moment. Some are hidden and others are there for all to see. But, all lead to the very center and heart of the flower. And it is by ever striving towards that center that we find the many ways that devotion forms and shapes our lives.

A Weekly Reflection: The Way of Constancy

The beginning of the Universe

Is the Mother of all things.

Knowing the Mother, one also knows the sons.

Knowing the sons, yet remaining in touch with the Mother,

Brings freedom from fear of death.

Keep your mouth shut,

Guard the senses, And life is ever full.

Open your mouth,

Always be busy,

And life is beyond hope.

Seeing the small is insight;

Yielding to force is strength.

Using the outer light , return to insight,

And in this way be saved from harm.

This is learning constancy.

- Tao Te Ching -

What lesson will you learn from the Universe this week?

Lesson of the Sphere: Chokmah

I sit in the reflection of HIS gaze,and rapture fills my being. The swirlings of cosmos and galaxy wind around me drawing my being into the vortex of formless unity. He looks upward and the light of a million stars pointedly glare back. Each flowing into its own rhythm of celestial course.

Musings on the Sphere of Chokmah

 Available at: A Year Within the Tree of Life

A Weekly Reflection: Time to Nurture

My eldest’s daughters birthday was this past Friday and as I thought about the meaning of this date I also reflected on the idea of time and growth.

I thought about how quickly these 23 years had passed, and the young woman she had become in what seemed like a moment in time. Memories and visions of her as an infant, child and teenager all converged into a rapid fire slideshow of seconds.

I thought about the time, energy, love and care that was offered towards helping her grow and flourish.  And, how at certain points along the way these efforts are mirrored back to you. This process of giving birth, guiding, nurturing and watching the end product of that process come to fruition is true for all our manifest and creative efforts; whether they are children, ideas or emotions. I realized how this exact process had played out in so many others areas of my life. Projects, actions, ideas; all like small children needing guidance and direction. We give our creation form, enliven its energy with our actions. We carefully tend to its needs to ensure growth and worry and intercede  at signs of distress, dis-ease or stagnation.

We become so intimately and resolutely attached to its very core with the goal of successful outcome the driving force. With time and determination what we have set forth becomes a living force of its own; infused by our personal offerings and shaped and molded by its dynamics.

What will you give birth to this week? What will you tend to, nurture and begin the steps towards growth within yourself?